Happy to know I'm not the only one who does this. I do wish I could more easily figure out the RV pitfalls, though. Going to The Bronx a few weeks ago I was routed onto a parkway. All parkways are 8 feet and I'm 10. Almost got hairy there. 😖 I really wish we could put in our vehicle specs and Google could route us appropriately.
Glad you found it helpful. We’ve expanded our travel planning videos for using apps, Google and other web sites. You may find these videos helpful. ua-cam.com/video/vIT--gwLUYI/v-deo.html and ua-cam.com/video/JHnCf-kLKec/v-deo.html
Just to let you know, I've been watching UA-cam RV videos for a couple years now and this one ranks in my top 5. I love the how to ones so much better than the talking heads. Thanks, keep them coming.
Thank you for your excellent presentation. This will bring much peace of mind and joy as we step into 500 plus mile trips in our Class C and car in tow.
Thank you for the great tips using way-points to force G to use the desired route. I have one comment/recommendation - Google Maps allows you to download offline data. You can designate an area (your trip area) and download the maps. If you lose connectivity while using maps - it will still know how to navigate. Great stuff - thanks again.
What an informative video that offers so much help for people who still use outdated gps systems. This is so much more useful and also don't forget you can save sections of maps just in case you lose data on the trip.
Thanks. And since this video was created, Google has made a number of updates and improvements. We just completed a 3,000 mile trip covering 6 states with a bunch of destinations at each. Google maps,was a great resource.
Our motorhome came with a Rand McNally RV GPS that we use. I used Garmins for years and, if the MH hadn't had the Rand McNally, I would have bought the Garmin RV 770 LMT-S. All the RV GPS allow you to put in your height, width, and weight and it will avoid those roads you will have trouble with. We also carry the truckers road atlas. Our GPS has a monitor at the co-pilot seat.
Thanks for sharing the information. As a new RV driver, there are many helpful tips for me on the video. Even though I only have a 28' class C, I am concerned about the low overpasses and have already found a lot of the narrower roads are not RV friendly.
Thanks much. Have been traveling like crazy over the past 4 weeks. Google Maps has worked well. They've made some additions recently now showing speed limit and road issues that can be reported by users. Nice update. Only thing missing is low overpasses. I took 2 new routes this week. Put in Maps, verified with the Trucker Atlas and we were ready to go.
My main problem is avoiding undesirable roads. Even the so-called RV Safe Trip Wizard put me on some extremely narrow and twisty roads. I'm talking so narrow that both myself and the oncoming traffic had our right wheels off the pavement and onto the dirt to avoid hitting each other. Not only that, Trip Wizard told me to turn right at the end of a road, when it should have directed me to turn left, and as soon as I turned it said it was recalculating, but by then it was too late. I ended up driving 5 miles on narrow winding roads, ending up in the same spot and again it told me turn right. I said, "Nope! Full me once, shame on you." I say all this because even though you can choose satellite view on Google Maps or Google Earth, and you can see how winding a road is, there is still no way to tell whether the route takes you on precariously narrow roads with no place to turn around and go another route.
That’s the downfall of any maps system, GPS or paper. Google maps satellite view helps. If we are going to a new campground and the views are questionable, we’ll either look at the campground website to see if they have a recommended route or call and ask. This has saved us several times. Even with these steps it can still be challenging with larger RVs. We went to a campground in the mountains this summer at the end of a very narrow and winding road. We knew this going and took our time navigating the last few miles. RV travel can be the adventure.
I don't know if it was true when you made the video but you can now send directions straight to your phone from a laptop on Google. I do the same thing with waypoints but it was still a useful video about sending directions to my phone or email. Thanks
Absolutely true Michael. We may lay out the route on a laptop, then send to our tablet. Easiest way is to send via email. Then I open on the tablet, send to Joan's phone and the kids so they know our travel route in one email. A great feature.
I was skimming over the comments but didn't see it mentioned so if it has been my apologies, but I really like using Android auto. Of coarse you have to have a radio with it built in. Several oem's have it now and there are a lot of aftermarket options. I personally spent a lot of money to put a radio from a 2018 Ram in my 2017 Ram so it now has it. This way you get either Google maps or waze and several other apps right in your radio, no phone mounted to the windshield. I also really like using iheart radio and youtube music through it.
I’ve been playing with Android auto for a while. Hate to dump my nice double DIN, but agree, would be nice to free up the space. Looks like a 2021 project in the works.
@@iLoveRVlife well you might want to look at some of the newer units out there. There are some large options that may or may not fit your vehicle. I would recommend Crutchfield as they have a great selection and excellent customer service. Some units actually protrude from the dash so they look like a floating tablet and are around 9" or larger but I wasn't really sold on that look. I'm a big fan of the Chrysler 8.4" uconnect radios and while I spent a whopping $1400 with infotainment.com to upgrade to a newer unit I like the clean, factory look.
Great video. I am a new subscriber. This video was very informative. We got the Garmin RV890 and just used it on our 2600 mile trip from Western NYS to Georgia and back. I found the ability to edit and shape the route really helpful. Just dragged to the new route i wanted. We stopped for the night (or for a couple of days) 11 times and adding those stops was very easy, didn't need to use way points. I did find out I had to be in RV mode when I created the trip. Makes sense but I just had taken a short trip with just the truck and have set it back to RV mode. Made the first day of trip a bit "interesting", lol. I still get out Google maps and use the satellite to zoom in on areas like gas stations. So there are pluses and minuses to all the ways to plan. It's great we have so many options. Also enjoyed all your Haloview videos. I have the RD10 but can not use the mirror with our new vehicle, the antenna won't fit above the mirror, so looking at options . THANK YOU for all the great info.
Thanks Cindy. Great to hear you’re enjoying the channel. I agree, many options and everyone’s travel planning and needs are different. Yet to find any one solution that doesn’t have some quirk. Still looking for that one button push option. Maybe one day. Safe travels. Jerry..
Thank you for your very informative UA-cam. I am planning a long trip from Canada to Redbay Alabama and have big concerns about the big cities. I really want to avoid them with the Motorhome and the Toad. I will be following many of your recommendations. Thank you again.
Hi Garth and thanks for watching. Unfortunately it’s hard to miss many of the big cities without taking routes that add miles and time to the trip. One tip, if you do have to navigate one of the larger cities, try a bypass, if available, around 10:30AM. That seems to be a sweet spot - after rush and before lunch.
@@iLoveRVlife Thanks for the wise advice. I was looking through some of your recommends. Which Rand McNally Atlas do you get? Which Nav Meter are you using? There are many Truck Stop Apps- anything you really like? Trucker Path looks popular? Do RVers need to stop at weigh scales? If so do the apps help? I have a small MH (32') that weighs under 25,000 lbs. Do you happen to know of anything that will give you a heads up about museums, factories, or some odd things are sort of on the route that you might see over the next day?
I like the large scale spiral bound Rand McNally Truckers Atlas. amzn.to/3ZQGNmy Pages are coated and it holds up well. The Nav Meter was for Android only. Unfortunately I think it’s been removed from the store. All the truck apps are good, Loves, Pilot, etc. I’m evaluating a new service, but not ready to share results yet. RVs aren’t required to stop at scales. They’re recognized as recreation vehicles. A search on Google of things to do at “name of city or town” will usually give a number of sites with interesting places in the area.
Thank you. I've used TomTom's and Garmins in my vehicles for years. I'm on my third handheld Garmin GPS, Montana. I've always known that about Goole Maps not remembering the correct created route. Thank you for the workaround. Now if only Google would fix Google My Maps so it would support routing to the waypoints created. I use My Maps to make KLM waypoint files to write to my Garmins. Other than that My Maps can be kind of useless.
Agree with My Maps. Not sure why the limitations. Seems to be more for pins for reference. Google Maps has served us well. Forcing routes with waypoints has been key.
Nice video. I also like using the satellite feature of Google Maps to review roads that are non-freeway. Checking out parking at rest stops and truck stops can also be done in the satellite view. We drive a class A and we tow so going to places with only back-in site doesn't work for us.
Great video, if you haven't yet, check out trucker path, you can set a route that is safe for trucks, you can see all truck stops, walmarts, shops, ect. Great video though
We purchased RV Trip Wizard for our recent “Maiden Voyage” and it was quite useful but not perfect. I struggled using Goggle Maps. I may give it another shot but we are really concerned about finding our 39’ RV (with my Honda being towed behind) in a tight spot where we’re confronted with a bridge or other hazard we can’t navigate. Yikes!
Hi Shirley. Bad road and a low underpass is always a concern. Couple of tips. Purchase the Rand McNally Truckers Atlas. They aren't expensive. You can find at a truck stop or I purchased mine off Amazon. If I'm going somewhere I've never traveled, I always double check my route with the atlas. It has a section showing trucker friendly roads and a list of low underpasses by state. The other nice feature about Google Maps is the satellite view. For the route off the main road to the campground, I always check. I also look at the campground web site to see if they have a recommended route. If not, I'll call and ask if there are any issues from the main road. I've found Google maps, a GPS, any of these are not prefect. This is a few steps that have been working well for us over the past several years. Hope these help in your travels. Jerry
Love the honest opinion and review! Definitely can relate, we have had a few times where our gps took us on the wrong route and had to drive forever to turn around hahaha pre planning is crucial!
I use Google maps to plan and force it to go the way I want it to. I run Copilot Live on my Samsung tablet, since Samsung has a GPS chip I don't have to be online. I enter the points I have generated on Google into Copilot.
Another plus for the Samsung. We go online only for traffic updates and Prime music. I looked at Copilot a while back. Good to hear it will import a Google map. I'll give it another try. How accurate have you found it to be with alerts to avoid low underpasses?
@@iLoveRVlife I have to manually put the points in. I have the RV version that allows you to enter heights, but I have never been any where in the South, Midwest, West or Canada that has low overpasses. The POI's for campgrounds aren't very good, a lot of places we go don't have good street addresses, so I work mostly in coordinates.
Thanks much. With a long 5th wheel, I usually research for campgrounds before I hit the road. We also spend a week or 2 enjoying an area. Google, TripAdvisor and rvparkreviews usually give enough info to make a decision then in Google maps it goes.
This was very helpful thanks. I really liked your video about Leisure Acres too and we are coming up there September 12th full time site 26a to the right of the office. Just sold our house in Roswell GA but I have another year to work. See you there. Gary
Jerry, have you ever used Google my maps? I use when we get to a vacation destination for points of interest. You can save several different maps and points, then you can pull up those saved locations in the regular google maps under "your places"/"maps". These locations sync across all your devices if you are signed into your google account.
Hi Dwayne. I do use Google mymaps for all the reasons you shared and then some. It's a great travel planning tool. We lay out our destinations, then in the notes section, save the campground links and tour destinations for the area. Also, if you go to our iloveRVlife web site, the top right has a mymaps with destinations, addresses and videos links from our travels. Jerry....
I'm trying to plan an RV trip in the UK and I wish you could start with how to "save" the information for your trip. I can tell you spent a lot of time showing start point, explaining way points and that's great but after I log into google and go to maps... I know where I'm staying on the first couple of legs of my journey but as I create the route it seems the next time I log in there is no way to just go to "My UK" RVing map I'm creating. Can you please show us where you saved your route and how to find it later? I even tried to google local map tutor for google maps and it took me to google for map making and educational links for engineers... lol
Google has a way to save the route. Click on the dots on the top and send the route to your email. It has a long link the opens the route saved. One extra tip, forward each route form the location you plan to leave from. It won’t try to reroute.
I use Garmin RV 770 LMT-S with my RV. Works great. I don't use my phone for navigation. When you loose the internet your map is no longer updated. I thought you reviewed the Garmin RV 770 LMT-S
Very true on the loss of cell. The GPS is still active on the phone or tablet if equipped. You won’t get traffic updates, the same with the Garmin if you Bluetooth to the phone. Also, when you start the trip, Google Maps gives the option to download the route. I’ve used a number of Garmins, did so for years, but setting waypoints to alter routes is incredibly difficult using the GPS unit or their PC utility. Shouldn’t be. Garmin needs to give its users more flexibility in route management. Shouldn’t be that hard.
While you're in North Georgia, check out Trackrock Campground - really nice, secluded place outside of Blairsville. I have a video on it on my channel. Nice job with the routing.
Thanks Jamey. We like Trackrock and Blairsville too. Nice campground and we've stayed there several times. On our website, I have a blog about Trackrock before we starting creating videos. North Georgia is a special place for Joan and I. Before our RV travel, we had a home for 6 years near the top of Wilson Mountain over looking that beautiful ridge toward the Appalachian Trail. I'll also check out your channel. Thanks again for sharing. Jerry...
Hi Jim. I shouldn't have rushed through that point. I have a hotspot also know as router that provides a wifi connection for our tablets and laptops using the Cellular network. We turn the hotspot on and the tablet is connected for Google traffic updates and our Internet music service. The majority of the Cellular carriers offer the device and you can add one to you account for a small fee and share you cell phone data plan. There are also a number of standalone services that only offer Cellular data plans. Jerry...
Every single thing that you have including all of the APs that you use and the Rand Mcnally atlas is all included in one unit and it's called the Good Sam/Rand Mcnally RV GPS plus 12,000 campgrounds programmed into it,real time weather, realtime traffic reports and about 10,000 more things that google maps doesn't give you and I never need a cell phone signal with 5 satellites tracking me and it has a 7" screen so no need for a tablet plus I go to the Good SAm website and use the free travel planner to set waypoints and go the way I want to go also then download it directly to my GPS. Just a thought
Sad that Nav Meter isn't available. I would love an altitude displayed. I'd also like Maps to at least show the name of the town you are going through, not just the roads. Wouldn't it be great to have a link between Maps and Music so it would offer to play songs about the area? In Memphis it would play 'Walking in Memphis" for example.
There’s a few altitude apps that we’ve tried and work. Just have to toggle the screen before we head up the mountain. Maybe the map programmers will add the music function. That would be awesome.
Jerry, great video. Waypoints are a good tip! I will be purchasing a 39 foot fiver, and have a Duramax Chevy 3500 6.5 bed quad cab., SRW. I was aiming at a B&W Companion slider hitch. I'm new to 5th wheel towing. What do you think of the truck / trailer and hitch set-up? The fiver weighs 14K loaded. I want a seasoned opinion of my plan before I commit to it. Thanks!
That’s a nice truck. Sorry, I can’t match truck to 5th wheel. Suggest looking at the capacity of truck and weight of 5th wheel. Check your truck capacity here www.trailerlife.com/trailer-towing-guides/. Suggest adding 20 to 30 percent more for people, fuel, and a little extra margin to get up the steep roads. I haven’t used the B&W hitch, but know it’s very popular for those with short beds.
be careful in California there is vehicle law you can not have any sticking to the windshield Must be mount off the dash or siting off the dash. add one thing is nothing may hang off the rear view mirror. that also go for rv backup camera monitor must mount off dash or down low. If you get pull over in California I'm hear there are state adopting the vehicle laws
Thanks so much for sharing. Every state now has some travel quirk and we all need to check each state before we travel. Georgia just went hands free and it's expensive if your ticketed. The tablet came with a round metal pad with super sticky tape you can put on dash or console and for the mount. Jerry...
They are nice units. I’ve talked with several who RV that use them as their primary GPS and report they are relatively accurate. I’ve owned many and I have two issues. One, the last mile or so. I’ve had instances where we were placed on bad roads when there were better options or even the wrong exit. The fix is using Google maps or a print map to verify before you hit the road. The second is routing. Sometimes the GPS will send you on a route that isn’t prefer. Example, the the center of a large city or a construction zone you know of. These GPS systems are difficult to reroute or set waypoints to alter the route you’d prefer. On a positive note, they are feature rich with many options for travel. If you prefer the “set and go”, this is a good system. If you’re a planner and want flexibility in route management, these systems can be a little difficult.
All good info, but you can do the same on a Garmin GPS. The value of the Garmin RV GPS is that it will tell you where low bridges are, correct gas stations, RV Service Centers, and traffic. I've used them all and I will stay with the Garmin RV GPS.
This is nice IF you know your route ahead of time, and will help with my travels via my car because google maps always wants to reroute me. The trouble I have is that we're doing a long roadtrip through the northeast, making several stops, and I don't know where there are low overpasses. I guess I will have to go buy this trucker's atlas, I just don't understand why this information isn't available online somewhere. I know I don't want to take any tunnels or drive on any NY parkways since they have low clearances. The Garden State Parkway website doesn't tell you if there's any low overpasses along the highway, but I've read blogs that have stated that there are, but that was years ago and they have been doing major upgrades, so I don't know if it is still accurate. Why doesn't google have this information?
Old video still helpful :-). I would like to know now if you have an alternative app., you use rather then the Rand McNally book to check if a route is trucker friendly. Thanks for the video, LeLe fr: Cali.,
Hi Lisa. Great to hear you found the video helpful. We updated the video earlier this year after a lot of interest in this one adding more of a focus on travel planning. ua-cam.com/video/JHnCf-kLKec/v-deo.html We’re big fans of Allstays web based service. There is a fee associated with the use, but it’s a bargain as much as we travel. It has information about roads, grades, overpass heights, plus tons of information about campgrounds.
@@iLoveRVlife thanks I do keep hearing that about all stays. I do have the free version. Once I hit that big R in 54 days 😁🎉. I will look into it some more thanks for the additional info and safe travels to you two😉
Thanks much. I have several for business. AT&T Mobley, but the plan is frozen. Rumor is the Mobley unlimited plan will come back for short periods. When I purchased mine, I checked AT&T's website every morning. Took a while, but worth it. An Unlimitedville, older unlimited plan, super fast connections that we use mostly on the east coast. They are still offer unlimited plans, but prices have increased some. And a Verizon MyFi. More expensive, but works when the others don't have a signal. Good news is a months use of map updates takes little data. A month of music is a couple of gig. It a wifi router that works off the Cellular network. They aren't very expensive. Best to shop around and find a plan that fits your needs for the price. Jerry....
Thanks so much Wendy. We use Allstays web client. Great for clearance and grades. Plus great application to find campgrounds too. Here’s a video I created using Allstays and travel planning ua-cam.com/video/JHnCf-kLKec/v-deo.html
My biggest question on this isn't how wonderful Google Maps is. I routinely use Google, Waze and Apple Maps depending on mood (Waze better for traffic since it combines the best of Google with crowd sourced traffic issues). My biggest concern is when I buy my MH or 5th wheel setup later this year for 2019, using the built in Nav system incorporates the size of my rig, especially the height. I think it's based off Garmin as well. Obviously if you exclusively drive on interstates and large state roads it may not matter but isn't it unsafe to use software that doesn't take size into account especially on unfamiliar roads?
Hi Paul. You bring up a very valid concern. With an RV specific GPS, it's only as good as the travel database it draws from. In conversations with others, everyone has at least one story from only trusting the GPS and getting in trouble. I'd double check the built in NAV system. Often they are based on car radio systems. Waze bit me twice in my first use. Done with it. I left Apple IOS several years ago and maybe it's better now. Even selecting interstate and state road, there are those times you'll want to avoid an area, Houston, Atlanta, Dallas, you know, those big metros. This is where the trip planning and setting those important waypoints help so much in avoiding those challenging areas. Also, the trucker's Atlas is a life saver to avoid a low underpass. Going to a new area is always an adventure. Take a little time, plan, make a few phone calls, talk with others in the campground will pay big dividends as you head out on the road. Safe travels. Jerry...
Thanks for your work! What happens when you pass one of your way points? Does the map reset and continue to your next point? Do you have to reset anything on the map?
True. I prefer using the Rand McNally Trucker’s map. Maybe a little old school, but takes a minute before we travel and we can change our route if needed before we hit the road.
Thanks great video! I to use Google Maps on my I-Phone when traveling. We did try it with my wife's I-Pad but it is only Wi-Fi so it did not work. Have or could you discuss how you setup your hot-spot to make the tablet work with the phone? What if any extra options is needed? Thanks again
Hi John. IPads are great tablets, but Apple does not add the GPS chip unless it is equipped with a Cellular modem. Most Android tablets have GPS standard. This is key to map reroutes, music and some of the other apps mentioned. Check out the 8" Samsung I show in the video. It's reasonably priced, it's wifi only, has the GPS chip and I use it for general tablet entertainment at the campground. Depending on phone and plan, most have hotspot. If allowed, on Android's you'll find under Settings, Connections, Mobile Hotspot and Tethering. Turn on option for Hotspot and log you tablet in with the provided code. For Apple, go to Settings, Personal Hotspot, turn on and login the tablet with provided password. Use the tablet normal wifi settings. It will see the phone hotspot as a wifi router. Enter the wifi password provided and you're ready to go. May read as a little cumbersome, but once you step through it's pretty simple. Hope this helps. Jerry...
Very informative. I'm going to practice with these tips for sure. Question: Have you tried the "All-Stays Camp and RV" app? I have it on my phone but haven't used it much. Supposed to work with Google Maps but I haven't figure out how yet.. I was hoping you might have some insight on it.
Hi Chris and thanks. I don't have that app, use the trucker's app for diesel on a regular basis. I hear good things about the app, but for our travel planning, we'll do a Google search, then follow up with reviews we find there along with TripAdvisor and rvparkreviews. This gives us a good mix. If we find mostly positive reviews, we'll try the campground. So far, so good. I also use Google's mymaps. I'll lay out our travel and points of interest along the way with web links as a reminder in the notes area. Sounds like I'm a Google fan boy. Not really, they just have apps for now that work. I'm also one of those that find comfort in planning our camping stays, then we can find the adventure once we are settled. Maybe with a smaller rig it would be different, but with the big 5th wheel, it's that "ounce of prevention" thing. Long reply, but thought I'd share. Jerry....
Thanks for the quick reply. I was interested in it because of the route filters it does. Especially marking overpasses with less than 13ft clearances. (My 5th wheel is 12ft 2ins). I haven't seen that sort of filter on Google Maps (yet).
Your right about the overpasses. Nothing in Google. I use the Truckers Atlas to be sure. It's been around for a long time. Truckers I've spoke to swear by it.
Well... If you get a wild hair and decide to download and check out All-stays, please let me know what your opinion is. Meanwhile, I'm going to practice my Google Maps skills on a route from Baton Rouge,LA to Fredericksburg, TX. Routing around downtown Houston is at least as desirable as routing around Atlanta. Stay Safe!
Thank you, that was very helpful. One of the things I didn't see on your screens was when I use Google maps the left half of the screen is giving the directions written out and the right side of the screen is the actual map. On yours it looked like the whole screen was the map. Is there a way to get rid of the directions it's given me on the left side of the screen. I want to see the map on the whole screen?. I know I could see the map on the whole screen if I'm not using directions, but when I'm using directions I still want to see the map on the whole screen. In other words you want to get rid of the writings. Can I do that?
Glad,you found the video helpful. I’m using an Android tablet. It has the next turn on the left hand side. This is a new update. I can swipe down and it adds the half screen display. Swipe up and it returns to the next turn only.
I would enjoy finding out what the best RV apps are, if anyone wants to throw some stuff out there. I saw one recommendation for Trucker Path and just found Free Roam, but Free Roam is not fully loaded for campsites in NC, because it's a fairly new app.
Did you know you can click and "grab" onto a route and move it to another road with your mouse? Faster than waypoints. Also, do you see on the screen where it says "send directions to your phone"? Also faster than emailing the link.
You can but that's the problem. When you send the map with the new route that has the road grabbed and moved, Goole Maps reroutes removing the altered route. Waypoints forces maps to retain the route.
Great information! Oh, how I WISH there were such a thing as a perfect GPS app. I suppose they can only improve in the future. BTW: Nav Meter displays are dragable.
I was excited about one app (Wayz), but in evaluating (checking a known route to the airport), it told me to turn right and drive a mile, then make a U-turn and come on back - rather than just making a left turn. That's so "sideways" it's backwards. LOL
Looked through a few comments, but didn't see it. Have you used WAZE? It seems to use google maps. How many waypoints are required to ensure no changes in the entire route?
I wanted to use Waze. Think it's a great idea. My problem is the way it calculates. Maybe ok for a car, but it routed me in some very difficult areas going to more rural campgrounds that we're very hard to navigate with the truck and 5th wheel.
I have tried using Google Maps In my travels. The problem I have had is getting it to alert me audibly when it is time to turn. I travel alone and it is unsafe for me to be constantly monitoring my phone while driving. Any tips with getting the alerts set up? Thank you for this very informative video.
Thanks much for the kind remarks. I use an Android phone, but suspect this will be similar for an iPhone. I connect my phone to the Bluetooth in the radio. You can increase the volume. Turn the phone volume to the highest setting. Open Google maps and tap the menu bar top left (3 little dashes). Go to Setting, Navigation Settings and tap Voice level and set for Louder. I also have mine set for Play voice during phone calls and Play voice over Bluetooth. This should help. These are my settings and the phone is very loud through the radio. If you don't like the idea of running the phone through the radio, grab a inexpensive Bluetooth speaker for the driver's seat. Jerry...
Thank you for the information. I also have an Android phone. Hopefully the changes you suggested will help. I already use my phone with the blue tooth on the truck so that would be my preference. I have very much enjoyed your channel.
The great thing about AA is it works well just by voice commands where my Garmin didnt. Garmins voice just doesnt work as well. With Android auto I can say while I'm driving "Hey Google, find campgrounds" and it would show on my touch screen stereo several campgrounds along my route with ratings, distance, and phone numbers. I can call them, hands free, and ask if they had a site available for me and determine if their accommodations were in line with their price... I can also say "Hey Google show me gas stations" and filling stations will show along my route most of the time with current fuel prices. I dont need the Gas Buddy app anymore. It will also show restaurants as well. You can search for them saying "show Chinese restaurants " and you can see them on the nav screen with rating and phone number along with business hours. The car stereo works with your phone and the app, hands free and using voice commands. It would work great for a solo driver
Dan, I use Allstays Pro for my route planning, campgrounds, etc. It has a great feature called low clearances. I validate the route after I add the destinations in Google Maps.
Hi Robert. Hate to share this, but it's been removed from the Google Play store :( I still use weekly, but no now way to download new. These things come and go. I'll update the video in a couple of weeks. Maybe this will help. I'm going to try this one. For me, I want an overlay over my Google Maps as I drive. Give this one a try play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fragileheart.gpsspeedometer Jerry...
Is there any way to adjust vehicle speed in Google Maps? I find that the app "assumes" you will travel at posted speeds. The towed vehicle I use is speed limited under towing to 65 MPH. I usually run about 60 MPH. This really fouls up the initial travel time estimate when laying out a route.
Hi Jody. If the Garmin RV works, super. We tried to use ours 6 weeks ago to give it one more shot. I had to pull out the phone and Google map when it sent us several exits above the turn we needed to make. Wish I could get better results with the Garmin. It was expensive. Jerry...
As you pass a waypoint, Maps will show that you have reached that destination at the bottom of the screen. The notification has an “x” to delete, tap and it removes and you continue on to the next point.
There is surprisingly. Early Sat or Sun you can zip through. I85 we take the east side through 675. I75 the west side. No issues unless some construction is going on north of the perimeter.
I may have missed it, but after you set your route using your laptop, how are you able to pick up that Google map route either on your phone or other device?
If you already know the route to take, why go through all that? Just use a paper map. Phones with GPS just get hot when using the GPS. Lots of wear and tear on the battery. Not sure about this idea.
For me it's just so much easier than wrestling a paper map while I'm trying to manage over 25,000 lbs rolling down the road a 65 miles an hour. Even with a paper map you either look for the turns or mark them to make it easier to locate. With the phone GPS, you get a friendly voice to navigate and even more so on unfamiliar, busy Interstates with a number of close exits, how nice to have the GPS prep you for the easiest lane to negotiate. As far as the phone, plug it in. Minimal wear on the battery. The newer phones are built for the use of 8 hours of Snapchat, Pinterest, or whatever is popular for the moment.
![Google My Maps route planner [step-by-step tutorial]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/IMmNkQu-4ZA/mqdefault.jpg)
Happy to know I'm not the only one who does this. I do wish I could more easily figure out the RV pitfalls, though. Going to The Bronx a few weeks ago I was routed onto a parkway. All parkways are 8 feet and I'm 10. Almost got hairy there. 😖 I really wish we could put in our vehicle specs and Google could route us appropriately.
Glad you found it helpful. We’ve expanded our travel planning videos for using apps, Google and other web sites. You may find these videos helpful. ua-cam.com/video/vIT--gwLUYI/v-deo.html and ua-cam.com/video/JHnCf-kLKec/v-deo.html
OMG this is the missing youtube video. I have been fighting this problem forever. Thank you for taking the time to show us the work around. YAHOO
You got it Steve. Glad I could share our Google Maps tips. When I become a mad scientist, my first project we be to create a GPS that works :)
Just to let you know, I've been watching UA-cam RV videos for a couple years now and this one ranks in my top 5. I love the how to ones so much better than the talking heads. Thanks, keep them coming.
Thanks so much Steve. We have much more planned.
Thank you for your excellent presentation. This will bring much peace of mind and joy as we step into 500 plus mile trips in our Class C and car in tow.
That’s great Helene. We’ve used this system for thousands of miles. So far..so good!
Thank you for the great tips using way-points to force G to use the desired route. I have one comment/recommendation - Google Maps allows you to download offline data. You can designate an area (your trip area) and download the maps. If you lose connectivity while using maps - it will still know how to navigate. Great stuff - thanks again.
Thanks. Good tip!
What an informative video that offers so much help for people who still use outdated gps systems. This is so much more useful and also don't forget you can save sections of maps just in case you lose data on the trip.
Thanks. And since this video was created, Google has made a number of updates and improvements. We just completed a 3,000 mile trip covering 6 states with a bunch of destinations at each. Google maps,was a great resource.
Good info..I always wonder why when I send it to my phone after I adjusted my route, that it's the original map from what I changed..Thanks again..
I use a truckers GPS it gives you routes, height, food, shopping, gas while rolling down the road. It has never steered me wrong!
Our motorhome came with a Rand McNally RV GPS that we use. I used Garmins for years and, if the MH hadn't had the Rand McNally, I would have bought the Garmin RV 770 LMT-S. All the RV GPS allow you to put in your height, width, and weight and it will avoid those roads you will have trouble with. We also carry the truckers road atlas. Our GPS has a monitor at the co-pilot seat.
Hi Roy. Sounds like a good set up. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing the information. As a new RV driver, there are many helpful tips for me on the video. Even though I only have a 28' class C, I am concerned about the low overpasses and have already found a lot of the narrower roads are not RV friendly.
Glad to share.
Great work around 👍 Thanks for sharing the info 💕 Can’t believe Google doesn’t develop maps for RV travelers😣
Thanks much. Have been traveling like crazy over the past 4 weeks. Google Maps has worked well. They've made some additions recently now showing speed limit and road issues that can be reported by users. Nice update. Only thing missing is low overpasses. I took 2 new routes this week. Put in Maps, verified with the Trucker Atlas and we were ready to go.
Brilliant tutorial. Thank you for sharing this!
Thanks for the kind comment. So glad you found the video helpful. Jerry...
My main problem is avoiding undesirable roads. Even the so-called RV Safe Trip Wizard put me on some extremely narrow and twisty roads. I'm talking so narrow that both myself and the oncoming traffic had our right wheels off the pavement and onto the dirt to avoid hitting each other. Not only that, Trip Wizard told me to turn right at the end of a road, when it should have directed me to turn left, and as soon as I turned it said it was recalculating, but by then it was too late. I ended up driving 5 miles on narrow winding roads, ending up in the same spot and again it told me turn right. I said, "Nope! Full me once, shame on you."
I say all this because even though you can choose satellite view on Google Maps or Google Earth, and you can see how winding a road is, there is still no way to tell whether the route takes you on precariously narrow roads with no place to turn around and go another route.
That’s the downfall of any maps system, GPS or paper. Google maps satellite view helps. If we are going to a new campground and the views are questionable, we’ll either look at the campground website to see if they have a recommended route or call and ask. This has saved us several times. Even with these steps it can still be challenging with larger RVs. We went to a campground in the mountains this summer at the end of a very narrow and winding road. We knew this going and took our time navigating the last few miles. RV travel can be the adventure.
Very much needed advice for us! Thanks a bunch Jerry! As always Blessings to you and your family Jerry!
Thanks much. It's easy. It works well. And, it's inexpensive. My favorite kinda of RV solution. Take care. Jerry...
I don't know if it was true when you made the video but you can now send directions straight to your phone from a laptop on Google. I do the same thing with waypoints but it was still a useful video about sending directions to my phone or email. Thanks
Absolutely true Michael. We may lay out the route on a laptop, then send to our tablet. Easiest way is to send via email. Then I open on the tablet, send to Joan's phone and the kids so they know our travel route in one email. A great feature.
I was skimming over the comments but didn't see it mentioned so if it has been my apologies, but I really like using Android auto. Of coarse you have to have a radio with it built in. Several oem's have it now and there are a lot of aftermarket options. I personally spent a lot of money to put a radio from a 2018 Ram in my 2017 Ram so it now has it. This way you get either Google maps or waze and several other apps right in your radio, no phone mounted to the windshield. I also really like using iheart radio and youtube music through it.
I’ve been playing with Android auto for a while. Hate to dump my nice double DIN, but agree, would be nice to free up the space. Looks like a 2021 project in the works.
@@iLoveRVlife well you might want to look at some of the newer units out there. There are some large options that may or may not fit your vehicle. I would recommend Crutchfield as they have a great selection and excellent customer service. Some units actually protrude from the dash so they look like a floating tablet and are around 9" or larger but I wasn't really sold on that look. I'm a big fan of the Chrysler 8.4" uconnect radios and while I spent a whopping $1400 with infotainment.com to upgrade to a newer unit I like the clean, factory look.
Great video. I am a new subscriber. This video was very informative. We got the Garmin RV890 and just used it on our 2600 mile trip from Western NYS to Georgia and back. I found the ability to edit and shape the route really helpful. Just dragged to the new route i wanted. We stopped for the night (or for a couple of days) 11 times and adding those stops was very easy, didn't need to use way points. I did find out I had to be in RV mode when I created the trip. Makes sense but I just had taken a short trip with just the truck and have set it back to RV mode. Made the first day of trip a bit "interesting", lol. I still get out Google maps and use the satellite to zoom in on areas like gas stations. So there are pluses and minuses to all the ways to plan. It's great we have so many options. Also enjoyed all your Haloview videos. I have the RD10 but can not use the mirror with our new vehicle, the antenna won't fit above the mirror, so looking at options . THANK YOU for all the great info.
Thanks Cindy. Great to hear you’re enjoying the channel. I agree, many options and everyone’s travel planning and needs are different. Yet to find any one solution that doesn’t have some quirk. Still looking for that one button push option. Maybe one day. Safe travels. Jerry..
Thank you for your very informative UA-cam. I am planning a long trip from Canada to Redbay Alabama and have big concerns about the big cities. I really want to avoid them with the Motorhome and the Toad. I will be following many of your recommendations. Thank you again.
Hi Garth and thanks for watching. Unfortunately it’s hard to miss many of the big cities without taking routes that add miles and time to the trip. One tip, if you do have to navigate one of the larger cities, try a bypass, if available, around 10:30AM. That seems to be a sweet spot - after rush and before lunch.
@@iLoveRVlife Thanks for the wise advice. I was looking through some of your recommends. Which Rand McNally Atlas do you get? Which Nav Meter are you using? There are many Truck Stop Apps- anything you really like? Trucker Path looks popular? Do RVers need to stop at weigh scales? If so do the apps help? I have a small MH (32') that weighs under 25,000 lbs. Do you happen to know of anything that will give you a heads up about museums, factories, or some odd things are sort of on the route that you might see over the next day?
I like the large scale spiral bound Rand McNally Truckers Atlas. amzn.to/3ZQGNmy Pages are coated and it holds up well. The Nav Meter was for Android only. Unfortunately I think it’s been removed from the store. All the truck apps are good, Loves, Pilot, etc. I’m evaluating a new service, but not ready to share results yet. RVs aren’t required to stop at scales. They’re recognized as recreation vehicles. A search on Google of things to do at “name of city or town” will usually give a number of sites with interesting places in the area.
Thank you. I've used TomTom's and Garmins in my vehicles for years. I'm on my third handheld Garmin GPS, Montana. I've always known that about Goole Maps not remembering the correct created route. Thank you for the workaround. Now if only Google would fix Google My Maps so it would support routing to the waypoints created. I use My Maps to make KLM waypoint files to write to my Garmins. Other than that My Maps can be kind of useless.
Agree with My Maps. Not sure why the limitations. Seems to be more for pins for reference. Google Maps has served us well. Forcing routes with waypoints has been key.
Nice video. I also like using the satellite feature of Google Maps to review roads that are non-freeway. Checking out parking at rest stops and truck stops can also be done in the satellite view. We drive a class A and we tow so going to places with only back-in site doesn't work for us.
Another great use of Google Maps Mike. We too use this feature often.
What a great video Jerry, I agree towing or driving a Big Rig plannig is so inportant to have a comfortable trip !
Thanks much Dave. Jerry...
Great video, if you haven't yet, check out trucker path, you can set a route that is safe for trucks, you can see all truck stops, walmarts, shops, ect. Great video though
Thanks. We’ll check it out.
Love those tips. Certainly more user friendly and RV friendly. Thanks.
Thanks much. Glad you found the video helpful. Jerry...
You can also right klick on your waypoint and ad it directly to your route :)
Great tip. I'll give that a try. Jerry...
Jerry you are just awesome! I love all your great advise!
That a big compliment to live up to. Thanks a bunch. Hope the solution works for your travel needs.
We purchased RV Trip Wizard for our recent “Maiden Voyage” and it was quite useful but not perfect. I struggled using Goggle Maps. I may give it another shot but we are really concerned about finding our 39’ RV (with my Honda being towed behind) in a tight spot where we’re confronted with a bridge or other hazard we can’t navigate. Yikes!
Hi Shirley. Bad road and a low underpass is always a concern. Couple of tips. Purchase the Rand McNally Truckers Atlas. They aren't expensive. You can find at a truck stop or I purchased mine off Amazon. If I'm going somewhere I've never traveled, I always double check my route with the atlas. It has a section showing trucker friendly roads and a list of low underpasses by state. The other nice feature about Google Maps is the satellite view. For the route off the main road to the campground, I always check. I also look at the campground web site to see if they have a recommended route. If not, I'll call and ask if there are any issues from the main road. I've found Google maps, a GPS, any of these are not prefect. This is a few steps that have been working well for us over the past several years. Hope these help in your travels. Jerry
I Love RV Life THANKS! Ordering some things from Amazon today and will definitely add that! 💝🦋
Love the honest opinion and review! Definitely can relate, we have had a few times where our gps took us on the wrong route and had to drive forever to turn around hahaha pre planning is crucial!
Thanks much. I still remember the dead end road. In the dark. We made it, but wow was I a hot mess! Jerry...
👋🏻Florida☀️🏝🇺🇸 Fkrst time watcher. New Sub. Great tips as I prepare for FT RVing . Thanks and Hope all is well.
Thanks much Dennis. Hope all is well in Flordia. Glad you found the channel helpful. Safe travels. Jerry...
Great info..well presented...Thanks Jerry
Thanks Daniel.
Thanks for this video, very similar story and you have convinced me to use google maps exclusively.
Glad to help Ken. Safe travels.
I use Google maps to plan and force it to go the way I want it to. I run Copilot Live on my Samsung tablet, since Samsung has a GPS chip I don't have to be online. I enter the points I have generated on Google into Copilot.
Another plus for the Samsung. We go online only for traffic updates and Prime music. I looked at Copilot a while back. Good to hear it will import a Google map. I'll give it another try. How accurate have you found it to be with alerts to avoid low underpasses?
@@iLoveRVlife I have to manually put the points in. I have the RV version that allows you to enter heights, but I have never been any where in the South, Midwest, West or Canada that has low overpasses. The POI's for campgrounds aren't very good, a lot of places we go don't have good street addresses, so I work mostly in coordinates.
Thanks much. With a long 5th wheel, I usually research for campgrounds before I hit the road. We also spend a week or 2 enjoying an area. Google, TripAdvisor and rvparkreviews usually give enough info to make a decision then in Google maps it goes.
This was very helpful thanks. I really liked your video about Leisure Acres too and we are coming up there September 12th full time site 26a to the right of the office. Just sold our house in Roswell GA but I have another year to work. See you there. Gary
Hi Gary. So glad you found the information helpful. I'll look you up when we come to Cleveland later this year. Jerry...
Jerry, have you ever used Google my maps? I use when we get to a vacation destination for points of interest. You can save several different maps and points, then you can pull up those saved locations in the regular google maps under "your places"/"maps". These locations sync across all your devices if you are signed into your google account.
Hi Dwayne. I do use Google mymaps for all the reasons you shared and then some. It's a great travel planning tool. We lay out our destinations, then in the notes section, save the campground links and tour destinations for the area. Also, if you go to our iloveRVlife web site, the top right has a mymaps with destinations, addresses and videos links from our travels. Jerry....
I'm trying to plan an RV trip in the UK and I wish you could start with how to "save" the information for your trip. I can tell you spent a lot of time showing start point, explaining way points and that's great but after I log into google and go to maps... I know where I'm staying on the first couple of legs of my journey but as I create the route it seems the next time I log in there is no way to just go to "My UK" RVing map I'm creating. Can you please show us where you saved your route and how to find it later? I even tried to google local map tutor for google maps and it took me to google for map making and educational links for engineers... lol
Google has a way to save the route. Click on the dots on the top and send the route to your email. It has a long link the opens the route saved. One extra tip, forward each route form the location you plan to leave from. It won’t try to reroute.
I use Garmin RV 770 LMT-S with my RV. Works great. I don't use my phone for navigation. When you loose the internet your map is no longer updated. I thought you reviewed the Garmin RV 770 LMT-S
That's not entirely correct. The cellular radio may lose connection in certain dead zones but the gps radio still tracks where you're at
Very true on the loss of cell. The GPS is still active on the phone or tablet if equipped. You won’t get traffic updates, the same with the Garmin if you Bluetooth to the phone. Also, when you start the trip, Google Maps gives the option to download the route. I’ve used a number of Garmins, did so for years, but setting waypoints to alter routes is incredibly difficult using the GPS unit or their PC utility. Shouldn’t be. Garmin needs to give its users more flexibility in route management. Shouldn’t be that hard.
While you're in North Georgia, check out Trackrock Campground - really nice, secluded place outside of Blairsville. I have a video on it on my channel. Nice job with the routing.
Thanks Jamey. We like Trackrock and Blairsville too. Nice campground and we've stayed there several times. On our website, I have a blog about Trackrock before we starting creating videos. North Georgia is a special place for Joan and I. Before our RV travel, we had a home for 6 years near the top of Wilson Mountain over looking that beautiful ridge toward the Appalachian Trail. I'll also check out your channel. Thanks again for sharing. Jerry...
I get confused about hotspot connections. Great video.
Hi Jim. I shouldn't have rushed through that point. I have a hotspot also know as router that provides a wifi connection for our tablets and laptops using the Cellular network. We turn the hotspot on and the tablet is connected for Google traffic updates and our Internet music service. The majority of the Cellular carriers offer the device and you can add one to you account for a small fee and share you cell phone data plan. There are also a number of standalone services that only offer Cellular data plans. Jerry...
Every single thing that you have including all of the APs that you use and the Rand Mcnally atlas is all included in one unit and it's called the Good Sam/Rand Mcnally RV GPS plus 12,000 campgrounds programmed into it,real time weather, realtime traffic reports and about 10,000 more things that google maps doesn't give you and I never need a cell phone signal with 5 satellites tracking me and it has a 7" screen so no need for a tablet plus I go to the Good SAm website and use the free travel planner to set waypoints and go the way I want to go also then download it directly to my GPS. Just a thought
Hi Dave. Thanks for the comments and good to hear this works well for your RV travels. Jerry...
does your Good Sam/Mcnally RV GPS show the grades on the roads?
Sad that Nav Meter isn't available. I would love an altitude displayed. I'd also like Maps to at least show the name of the town you are going through, not just the roads. Wouldn't it be great to have a link between Maps and Music so it would offer to play songs about the area? In Memphis it would play 'Walking in Memphis" for example.
There’s a few altitude apps that we’ve tried and work. Just have to toggle the screen before we head up the mountain. Maybe the map programmers will add the music function. That would be awesome.
Jerry, great video. Waypoints are a good tip! I will be purchasing a 39 foot fiver, and have a Duramax Chevy 3500 6.5 bed quad cab., SRW. I was aiming at a B&W Companion slider hitch. I'm new to 5th wheel towing. What do you think of the truck / trailer and hitch set-up? The fiver weighs 14K loaded. I want a seasoned opinion of my plan before I commit to it. Thanks!
That’s a nice truck. Sorry, I can’t match truck to 5th wheel. Suggest looking at the capacity of truck and weight of 5th wheel. Check your truck capacity here www.trailerlife.com/trailer-towing-guides/. Suggest adding 20 to 30 percent more for people, fuel, and a little extra margin to get up the steep roads. I haven’t used the B&W hitch, but know it’s very popular for those with short beds.
be careful in California there is vehicle law you can not have any sticking to the windshield Must be mount off the dash or siting off the dash. add one thing is nothing may hang off the rear view mirror. that also go for rv backup camera monitor must mount off dash or down low. If you get pull over in California I'm hear there are state adopting the vehicle laws
Thanks so much for sharing. Every state now has some travel quirk and we all need to check each state before we travel. Georgia just went hands free and it's expensive if your ticketed. The tablet came with a round metal pad with super sticky tape you can put on dash or console and for the mount. Jerry...
What do you think about RV Garmin devices that accept the height and length of your rig and automatically route around underpasses and narrow tunnels?
They are nice units. I’ve talked with several who RV that use them as their primary GPS and report they are relatively accurate. I’ve owned many and I have two issues. One, the last mile or so. I’ve had instances where we were placed on bad roads when there were better options or even the wrong exit. The fix is using Google maps or a print map to verify before you hit the road. The second is routing. Sometimes the GPS will send you on a route that isn’t prefer. Example, the the center of a large city or a construction zone you know of. These GPS systems are difficult to reroute or set waypoints to alter the route you’d prefer. On a positive note, they are feature rich with many options for travel. If you prefer the “set and go”, this is a good system. If you’re a planner and want flexibility in route management, these systems can be a little difficult.
Great info! Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
I would just like to add that in addition to emailing the completed map, you can text it to your phone too. I find that easier for me.
Works like a champ! Thanks for sharing the tip for the phone. I use email for the tablet.
All good info, but you can do the same on a Garmin GPS. The value of the Garmin RV GPS is that it will tell you where low bridges are, correct gas stations, RV Service Centers, and traffic. I've used them all and I will stay with the Garmin RV GPS.
does your Garmin RV GPS show the grade of the roads?
Yes
The Garmin 770 RV unit does.
Great information
Thanks David. Jerry...
Good morning Larry🐺🐺👍✌
Good morning.
This is nice IF you know your route ahead of time, and will help with my travels via my car because google maps always wants to reroute me. The trouble I have is that we're doing a long roadtrip through the northeast, making several stops, and I don't know where there are low overpasses. I guess I will have to go buy this trucker's atlas, I just don't understand why this information isn't available online somewhere. I know I don't want to take any tunnels or drive on any NY parkways since they have low clearances. The Garden State Parkway website doesn't tell you if there's any low overpasses along the highway, but I've read blogs that have stated that there are, but that was years ago and they have been doing major upgrades, so I don't know if it is still accurate. Why doesn't google have this information?
I wish Google had this, maybe one day. It’s also online with the Allstays Pro service, but requires a yearly fee.
Old video still helpful :-). I would like to know now if you have an alternative app., you use rather then the Rand McNally book to check if a route is trucker friendly. Thanks for the video, LeLe fr: Cali.,
Hi Lisa. Great to hear you found the video helpful. We updated the video earlier this year after a lot of interest in this one adding more of a focus on travel planning. ua-cam.com/video/JHnCf-kLKec/v-deo.html We’re big fans of Allstays web based service. There is a fee associated with the use, but it’s a bargain as much as we travel. It has information about roads, grades, overpass heights, plus tons of information about campgrounds.
@@iLoveRVlife thanks I do keep hearing that about all stays. I do have the free version. Once I hit that big R in 54 days 😁🎉. I will look into it some more thanks for the additional info and safe travels to you two😉
Will do.
Awesome video and how to keep them coming what's your hotspot device and how does that work
Thanks much. I have several for business. AT&T Mobley, but the plan is frozen. Rumor is the Mobley unlimited plan will come back for short periods. When I purchased mine, I checked AT&T's website every morning. Took a while, but worth it. An Unlimitedville, older unlimited plan, super fast connections that we use mostly on the east coast. They are still offer unlimited plans, but prices have increased some. And a Verizon MyFi. More expensive, but works when the others don't have a signal. Good news is a months use of map updates takes little data. A month of music is a couple of gig. It a wifi router that works off the Cellular network. They aren't very expensive. Best to shop around and find a plan that fits your needs for the price. Jerry....
fantastic tip! waypoints, I love it! what do you use for bridge clearances?
Thanks so much Wendy. We use Allstays web client. Great for clearance and grades. Plus great application to find campgrounds too. Here’s a video I created using Allstays and travel planning ua-cam.com/video/JHnCf-kLKec/v-deo.html
My biggest question on this isn't how wonderful Google Maps is. I routinely use Google, Waze and Apple Maps depending on mood (Waze better for traffic since it combines the best of Google with crowd sourced traffic issues). My biggest concern is when I buy my MH or 5th wheel setup later this year for 2019, using the built in Nav system incorporates the size of my rig, especially the height. I think it's based off Garmin as well. Obviously if you exclusively drive on interstates and large state roads it may not matter but isn't it unsafe to use software that doesn't take size into account especially on unfamiliar roads?
Hi Paul. You bring up a very valid concern. With an RV specific GPS, it's only as good as the travel database it draws from. In conversations with others, everyone has at least one story from only trusting the GPS and getting in trouble. I'd double check the built in NAV system. Often they are based on car radio systems. Waze bit me twice in my first use. Done with it. I left Apple IOS several years ago and maybe it's better now. Even selecting interstate and state road, there are those times you'll want to avoid an area, Houston, Atlanta, Dallas, you know, those big metros. This is where the trip planning and setting those important waypoints help so much in avoiding those challenging areas. Also, the trucker's Atlas is a life saver to avoid a low underpass. Going to a new area is always an adventure. Take a little time, plan, make a few phone calls, talk with others in the campground will pay big dividends as you head out on the road. Safe travels. Jerry...
Thanks for your work!
What happens when you pass one of your way points? Does the map reset and continue to your next point? Do you have to reset anything on the map?
Jeff, Google Maps pops up a lower 3rd stating you’ve arrived. There’s a skip button, press and keep on going.
Nice video!
Thanks much.
Nice channel ! We subscribe ! 😄
Thanks much. Welcome to the channel. Jerry...
Allstays has all underpasses by height listed in the app, its not automatic, you have to actually look and trace your route.
True. I prefer using the Rand McNally Trucker’s map. Maybe a little old school, but takes a minute before we travel and we can change our route if needed before we hit the road.
Thanks great video! I to use Google Maps on my I-Phone when traveling. We did try it with my wife's I-Pad but it is only Wi-Fi so it did not work. Have or could you discuss how you setup your hot-spot to make the tablet work with the phone? What if any extra options is needed? Thanks again
Hi John. IPads are great tablets, but Apple does not add the GPS chip unless it is equipped with a Cellular modem. Most Android tablets have GPS standard. This is key to map reroutes, music and some of the other apps mentioned. Check out the 8" Samsung I show in the video. It's reasonably priced, it's wifi only, has the GPS chip and I use it for general tablet entertainment at the campground. Depending on phone and plan, most have hotspot. If allowed, on Android's you'll find under Settings, Connections, Mobile Hotspot and Tethering. Turn on option for Hotspot and log you tablet in with the provided code. For Apple, go to Settings, Personal Hotspot, turn on and login the tablet with provided password. Use the tablet normal wifi settings. It will see the phone hotspot as a wifi router. Enter the wifi password provided and you're ready to go. May read as a little cumbersome, but once you step through it's pretty simple. Hope this helps. Jerry...
Very informative. I'm going to practice with these tips for sure. Question: Have you tried the "All-Stays Camp and RV" app? I have it on my phone but haven't used it much. Supposed to work with Google Maps but I haven't figure out how yet.. I was hoping you might have some insight on it.
Hi Chris and thanks. I don't have that app, use the trucker's app for diesel on a regular basis. I hear good things about the app, but for our travel planning, we'll do a Google search, then follow up with reviews we find there along with TripAdvisor and rvparkreviews. This gives us a good mix. If we find mostly positive reviews, we'll try the campground. So far, so good. I also use Google's mymaps. I'll lay out our travel and points of interest along the way with web links as a reminder in the notes area. Sounds like I'm a Google fan boy. Not really, they just have apps for now that work. I'm also one of those that find comfort in planning our camping stays, then we can find the adventure once we are settled. Maybe with a smaller rig it would be different, but with the big 5th wheel, it's that "ounce of prevention" thing. Long reply, but thought I'd share. Jerry....
Thanks for the quick reply. I was interested in it because of the route filters it does. Especially marking overpasses with less than 13ft clearances. (My 5th wheel is 12ft 2ins). I haven't seen that sort of filter on Google Maps (yet).
Your right about the overpasses. Nothing in Google. I use the Truckers Atlas to be sure. It's been around for a long time. Truckers I've spoke to swear by it.
Well... If you get a wild hair and decide to download and check out All-stays, please let me know what your opinion is. Meanwhile, I'm going to practice my Google Maps skills on a route from Baton Rouge,LA to Fredericksburg, TX. Routing around downtown Houston is at least as desirable as routing around Atlanta. Stay Safe!
You can save Google Maps info for the area you are in so you can still find your way around without cell service.
Thank you, that was very helpful. One of the things I didn't see on your screens was when I use Google maps the left half of the screen is giving the directions written out and the right side of the screen is the actual map. On yours it looked like the whole screen was the map. Is there a way to get rid of the directions it's given me on the left side of the screen. I want to see the map on the whole screen?. I know I could see the map on the whole screen if I'm not using directions, but when I'm using directions I still want to see the map on the whole screen. In other words you want to get rid of the writings. Can I do that?
Glad,you found the video helpful. I’m using an Android tablet. It has the next turn on the left hand side. This is a new update. I can swipe down and it adds the half screen display. Swipe up and it returns to the next turn only.
@@iLoveRVlife Thank you. I'm going to try that on the new Pioneer radio I just put in my RV and my android phone.
@@iLoveRVlife I just tried it on my phone didn't work..
What’s the link for the suction cup tablet holder? I have iPad I want to use
Hi Jeff. I use this one amzn.to/3pUacfp. It’s very stable.
I would enjoy finding out what the best RV apps are, if anyone wants to throw some stuff out there. I saw one recommendation for Trucker Path and just found Free Roam, but Free Roam is not fully loaded for campsites in NC, because it's a fairly new app.
Did you know you can click and "grab" onto a route and move it to another road with your mouse? Faster than waypoints. Also, do you see on the screen where it says "send directions to your phone"? Also faster than emailing the link.
You can but that's the problem. When you send the map with the new route that has the road grabbed and moved, Goole Maps reroutes removing the altered route. Waypoints forces maps to retain the route.
Great information! Oh, how I WISH there were such a thing as a perfect GPS app.
I suppose they can only improve in the future.
BTW: Nav Meter displays are dragable.
Hi Richard. No kidding!! It's amazing the algorithms used get so sideways sometimes.
I was excited about one app (Wayz), but in evaluating (checking a known route to the airport), it told me to turn right and drive a mile, then make a U-turn and come on back - rather than just making a left turn. That's so "sideways" it's backwards. LOL
Looked through a few comments, but didn't see it. Have you used WAZE? It seems to use google maps. How many waypoints are required to ensure no changes in the entire route?
I wanted to use Waze. Think it's a great idea. My problem is the way it calculates. Maybe ok for a car, but it routed me in some very difficult areas going to more rural campgrounds that we're very hard to navigate with the truck and 5th wheel.
I have tried using Google Maps In my travels. The problem I have had is getting it to alert me audibly when it is time to turn. I travel alone and it is unsafe for me to be constantly monitoring my phone while driving. Any tips with getting the alerts set up? Thank you for this very informative video.
Thanks much for the kind remarks. I use an Android phone, but suspect this will be similar for an iPhone. I connect my phone to the Bluetooth in the radio. You can increase the volume. Turn the phone volume to the highest setting. Open Google maps and tap the menu bar top left (3 little dashes). Go to Setting, Navigation Settings and tap Voice level and set for Louder. I also have mine set for Play voice during phone calls and Play voice over Bluetooth. This should help. These are my settings and the phone is very loud through the radio. If you don't like the idea of running the phone through the radio, grab a inexpensive Bluetooth speaker for the driver's seat. Jerry...
Thank you for the information. I also have an Android phone. Hopefully the changes you suggested will help. I already use my phone with the blue tooth on the truck so that would be my preference. I have very much enjoyed your channel.
Download android auto or buy a car stereo and with android auto built in. Replace your current car store with a bluetooth unit
I’ve been playing with Android Auto for a few months. Nice product. May replace the head unit in the future.
The great thing about AA is it works well just by voice commands where my Garmin didnt. Garmins voice just doesnt work as well. With Android auto I can say while I'm driving "Hey Google, find campgrounds" and it would show on my touch screen stereo several campgrounds along my route with ratings, distance, and phone numbers. I can call them, hands free, and ask if they had a site available for me and determine if their accommodations were in line with their price... I can also say "Hey Google show me gas stations" and filling stations will show along my route most of the time with current fuel prices. I dont need the Gas Buddy app anymore.
It will also show restaurants as well. You can search for them saying "show Chinese restaurants " and you can see them on the nav screen with rating and phone number along with business hours.
The car stereo works with your phone and the app, hands free and using voice commands. It would work great for a solo driver
How do you adjust Google Maps Settings to accommodate your RV's height?
Dan, I use Allstays Pro for my route planning, campgrounds, etc. It has a great feature called low clearances. I validate the route after I add the destinations in Google Maps.
Hi Jerry, can’t find navmeter in App Store. Does it have another name?
Hi Robert. Hate to share this, but it's been removed from the Google Play store :( I still use weekly, but no now way to download new. These things come and go. I'll update the video in a couple of weeks. Maybe this will help. I'm going to try this one. For me, I want an overlay over my Google Maps as I drive. Give this one a try play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fragileheart.gpsspeedometer Jerry...
Is there any way to adjust vehicle speed in Google Maps? I find that the app "assumes" you will travel at posted speeds. The towed vehicle I use is speed limited under towing to 65 MPH. I usually run about 60 MPH. This really fouls up the initial travel time estimate when laying out a route.
Hi Keith. Unfortunately no. I add 10 minutes for each estimated travel hour to the arrival time as we head down the road.
@@iLoveRVlife I do that too. Plus some time for set up.
I like google maps but it is erratic in providing audio directions. Haven’t been able to figure out what the problem is. So my garmin rv has to do.
Hi Jody. If the Garmin RV works, super. We tried to use ours 6 weeks ago to give it one more shot. I had to pull out the phone and Google map when it sent us several exits above the turn we needed to make. Wish I could get better results with the Garmin. It was expensive. Jerry...
Sir, I have an issue when I pass by that waypoint, it wants me to turn around and go back to it, how do you tell it to move on to the next waypoint?
As you pass a waypoint, Maps will show that you have reached that destination at the bottom of the screen. The notification has an “x” to delete, tap and it removes and you continue on to the next point.
@@iLoveRVlife I will give it a try, thanks.
Have you tried RV trip wizard?
Hi Tommy. Not since it first came out. Have they made improvements? I'll give it a look again. Jerry...
Is there really a good time to go through atlanta?
There is surprisingly. Early Sat or Sun you can zip through. I85 we take the east side through 675. I75 the west side. No issues unless some construction is going on north of the perimeter.
I may have missed it, but after you set your route using your laptop, how are you able to pick up that Google map route either on your phone or other device?
Hi Grant. Google maps provides an option to save and email. I open the email on the tablet, click the file and the route is loaded.
If you already know the route to take, why go through all that? Just use a paper map. Phones with GPS just get hot when using the GPS. Lots of wear and tear on the battery. Not sure about this idea.
For me it's just so much easier than wrestling a paper map while I'm trying to manage over 25,000 lbs rolling down the road a 65 miles an hour. Even with a paper map you either look for the turns or mark them to make it easier to locate. With the phone GPS, you get a friendly voice to navigate and even more so on unfamiliar, busy Interstates with a number of close exits, how nice to have the GPS prep you for the easiest lane to negotiate. As far as the phone, plug it in. Minimal wear on the battery. The newer phones are built for the use of 8 hours of Snapchat, Pinterest, or whatever is popular for the moment.
You should not have that 8 inch tablet in your windshield especially pulling your trailer!
It's ok George. Really. It's no larger than most of the RV specialized GPS systems. It's a big windshield and I promise to be extra careful.